Takeaways from Pitt football’s game against Kent State

Pitt football defeated Kent State 55-24 in its season opener at home. 44,616 people saw a quarterback succeed in his debut, two receivers almost meet their target share from 2023 and a star runningback emerge.

Redshirt first-year quarterback Eli Holstein made his first collegiate start after transferring from Alabama in January, and the Panthers’ new offensive coordinator Kade Bell showed Pitt fans an unfamiliar speed and look. Several underutilized pass-catchers in 2023 recorded impressive numbers against the Golden Flashes. All giving tons of hope to Pitt fans for the rest of the 2024 season.

Here is what stood out from the Panthers season opener.

With cautious optimism, Holstein looked great

Holstein spent the offseason in a quarterback competition with the incumbent redshirt junior Nate Yarnell, who started the final two games for the Panthers last season. On Thursday, Holstein was told he would take the first offensive snap. 

With 48 hours of notice for one of the biggest days of his life, Holstein delivered. Holstein’s 336 passing yards and three touchdown passes rank among the best Pitt quarterback performances since Kenny Pickett’s departure to the NFL. 

But Holstein made a few questionable decisions on Saturday as well. Third-and-two on Kent State’s seven-yard line, Holstein felt pressure and backpedaled out of the pocket. Holstein, off his back foot, threw a goal-line fade intended for redshirt junior wide receiver Raphael “Poppi” Williams Jr., but Kent State intercepted the rookie’s pass and returned for 60 yards. 

“I should have just stepped up in the pocket and delivered the ball,” Holstein said after the game.

Showing growth, Holstein threw a similar goal-line fade to sophomore wide receiver Kenny Johnson which connected for Holstein’s third touchdown.

Holstein’s night was not perfect, as he threw multiple turnover-worthy balls, but it was a commendable debut that should give Pitt fans hope for the rest of the 2024 season.

Thankfully, Johnson and Bartholomew got involved

Johnson was a first-year in a competitive wide receiver room last season. But with Bub Means getting drafted by the New Orleans Saints, Pitt freed up a lot of receiving production, and in the Panthers’ season opener, Johnson was a beneficiary of this.

Johnson caught seven balls for 105 yards and a touchdown, including a 46-yard acrobatic catch just short of the end zone on Holstein’s fifth career pass. The York, PA, native almost eclipsed the 122 receiving yards and 15 receptions he recorded in his first collegiate season in one game.

Before tight end Gavin Bartholomew’s first game as a senior, he was named to the John Mackey Award watchlist for the third consecutive year. The award goes to the nation’s most outstanding tight end. If that says anything about Bartholomew’s talent and projected production, former Georgia tight end Brock Bowers was drafted 13th overall in the NFL draft and won the award last year.

Bartholomew’s first year under offensive coordinator Mark Whipple as a Panther was outstanding. But under offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr., Bartholomew’s receptions, yards and touchdowns decreased every season. 

In Bartholomew’s first game under Bell, his usage skyrocketed, showing that the Schuylkill Haven, PA, native is a priority. Bartholomew’s five receptions against Kent State are more than a quarter of his receptions last season.

Pitt owes Western Carolina a huge thank-you

The Panthers knew Kade Bell brought an elite offensive system when he joined as offensive coordinator. Western Carolina averaged 504.1 yards per game — the most in the FCS.

Bell’s spread and fast-paced offense might seem like a popular wave across college football, but head coach Pat Narduzzi admits it isn’t a plug-and-play system. 

“It’s having the personnel,” Narduzzi said about winning in today’s college football. “I like what we’re doing. But I think it comes down to just having the right people and doing what you do.”

After the first game, it’s clear that the personnel is junior running back Desmond Reid. Reid was advertised as a demolitionist — a man who deals with explosives. The Western Carolina transfer set off two of the biggest explosives the Pitt offense has seen in years during his first three-quarters rocking the blue and gold.

A 78-yard punt return touchdown gave Holstein a 14-0 lead before his second career drive. Then a 46-yard touchdown run up the middle that split the Golden Flashes defense staved off Kent State’s comeback attempt. Reid’s speed and ability will certainly play a huge part in the Panthers’ success this season.

Pitt travels to Cincinnati on Saturday, Sept. 7 at noon. The game is viewable on ESPN2.